Vanadium Transitions in the Spectrum of Arcturus

TL;DR

This study determines a precise vanadium abundance in Arcturus using high-resolution spectra and new laboratory data, confirming the reliability of previous transition measurements and synthetic spectrum analysis.

Contribution

It provides a new, accurate vanadium abundance for Arcturus based on updated laboratory spectra and synthetic spectrum analysis, improving previous measurements.

Findings

Vanadium abundance in Arcturus is log ε(V) = 3.54 ± 0.01.

New laboratory spectra support previous V I transition data.

No significant abundance trends with wavelength or excitation energy.

Abstract

We derive a new abundance for vanadium in the bright, mildly metal-poor red giant Arcturus. This star has an excellent high-resolution spectral atlas and well-understood atmospheric parameters, and it displays a rich set of neutral vanadium lines that are available for abundance extraction. We employ a newly recorded set of laboratory FTS spectra to investigate any potential discrepancies in previously reported V I log(gf) values near 900 nm. These new spectra support our earlier laboratory transition data and the calibration method utilized in that study. We then perform a synthetic spectrum analysis of weak V I features in Arcturus, deriving log {\epsilon}(V) = 3.54 $\pm$ 0.01 ({\sigma} = 0.04) from 55 lines. There are no significant abundance trends with wavelength, line strength, or lower excitation energy.